Wordless Wednesday

Hannah showing off her new feather earrings

Posing with Quackers

Weird, random, open door

I had some appointments this morning. When I got home I was greeted in the garage by my next door neighbor's dog, Friday. She was excited and kept running to see me and then running back to her front door. I walked over to her front door and it was open. Curios because my neighbor is a teacher and is generally not home during the day. So, Jay called inside the house and we rang the doorbell and nothing. Friday continued to run in and out of the house. At this point I became concerned because obviously no one was home (or able to come to the door) but I still wasn't comfortable walking in and checking things out for myself. So, we called the police. They came and went inside. They checked things out and didn't find anything unusual. It is still a mystery how her front door got open leaving Friday to come and go as she pleased, but I was just relieved they hadn't been robbed or that something hadn't happened to my neighbor. She was grateful when the police contacted her and told her what had happened. I was relieved because you never know how someone is going to react, I mean I was all up in her business... But, everything ended well and that is really all that matters.

Friday Night Leftovers

• This has been one of the longest weeks on record. Ever. I am so tired and can't believe I just sent my April magazine to print and am now working on the May issue. Where is the time going???
• I took the girls for frozen yogurt at Tutti Frutti today.  We ate outside because it was gorgeous outside and Hannah noticed a nail salon right next door and suggested a man-pedi.  Gotta say, I love my french manicure and hot pink toes!
• We are celebrating Abby's 14th birthday tomorrow.  One of her good friends from school is joining us for some jump time as SkyHigh trampoline park.  We are also serving up Abby's favorite, cherry cheesecake! I can't believe my baby is almost 14.  Again, where is the time going???
• Hannah had "field day" today.  I use that term loosely because only two of the games were outside.  But perhaps the lamest part of field day in Texas is that it doesn't start until 2:10 in the afternoon! In VA it was an all-day affair and the entire thing was outside.  Hannah said she was ripped off!
• I LOVE my new Dyson.  I have already vacuumed 3 times this week!
• I joined Weight Watchers Online today.  So far, it rocks! 
• Abby doesn't want to attend her end of the year, Eighth grade party.  I really want her too, but if I push she will say no just to spite me.  Gotta play this one very carefully...
• It is spring here in Texas.  The grass needs to be mowed on a regular basis, everything is blooming, and we are consistently in the 70's and 80's.
• I am now planning our summer beach trip to Corpus Christi.  We are going to have such a great time. So far on the agenda, the USS Lexington, Texas State Aquarium, and, FunZone!
• I started a Facebook page for my magazine, Sweetwater Style, this week.  I am excited about how this is already positively impacting my business.

Are We Every Truly Safe

I think the honest answer to that question is no. But, I really don't need reminders of it, life is scary enough as it is. This week, Abigale's former Middle School in VA has a student that has threatened to do a school shooting today. News traveled fast around the school and by Wednesday it was all over the local news and the students and parents were swirling in information, some true and some not. Apparently, an 8th grader left several death threats in student's lockers and made it well know that he intended to do a school shooting on Friday (today). The police were called and the county and school officials immediately lept into action. The kid's residence was searched and he was interviewed by the police. No weapons were found and we are unclear on what his punishment will be, but I can tell you that this situation has left an entire community rocked with fear. Many of Abigale's friends are at home today because they and their parents are too frightened to send their kids to school. This world of ours has gotten too crazy and I do fear what type of world my children and grandchildren will live in. Stay tuned!

Wordless Wednesday

Hannah said, "Now I'm triple safe!"

Tutti, Dyson, Twilight

We went to Tutti Frutti today (which is becoming a regular occurence) for a delicious frozen yogurt treat.  The cherries are massive and my favorite part!  I love that you can see the ingredients of each type of yogurt and pick the one that fits best with your diet.  After yogurt we went and bought my Dyson!  So far it is AMAZING.  The amount of dirt and dog hair it picked up was gross.  I can't remember when my area rug has looked so clean!  Next, we headed over to Bath & Body Works and loaded up on nice smelling lotions & potions.  Abby and I both got body spray that has glitter in it.  My absolute favorite scent is Twilight Woods and after I took my shower I used the glittery body spray, so I am loving the way my shimmering body smells right now.

Hannah enjoying her Tutti Frutti

My yummy yogurt with HUGE cherries!

Friday Night Leftovers

• Abigale has lost 20 pounds. We had to go buy her some new clothes today because her shorts were literally falling off of her. I just can't believe the clothing selections she made. She has always been a tomboy and until today her wardrobe consisted of gray, brown and black t-shirts. Today, she got a bright orange shirt, a really cute, form-fitting white t-shirt, a black pair of jeans, and several tank tops to layer under stuff. My girl is really growing up. Sniff, sniff.  
• Report cards came home this week.  Overall, they both did good.  Abby is still struggling in math, but she is trying much harder and doing better. :)
• I am sick of the rain. Our backyard stays a gigantic mud pit and the three dogs bring in the dirt everytime they go outside. We literally scrape dirt off the floors. Thank goodness we mainly have non-carpeted floors.
• The rain has saturated the ground so much that the little wind gusts we had this morning blew a pine tree over onto my parent's house. It completely destroyed my dad's workshop and damaged their roof and gutters. Thank God, no one was hurt.
• I had my second biggest sale this week. A full page ad for 12 months at my new, increased rate!
• I am ready to launch my second magazine. Since Abby has to go to summer school I may as well work those weeks and vacation around her schedule. I can't decide if I want to launch close to my current publication or do one in Katy where I live. I am leaning towards Katy, I just need to get approval. Wish me luck.
• We still haven't lived in Texas a full year so we are still experiencing the "seasons" as we go along. Who knew spring would be in February?
• We have discovered that we have an orange tree in our backyard. It already has 3 oranges.
• I yelled at Jay today because I am tired of him smoking in my car.
• I used the word literally twice in this posting, now three times.

My Budding Artist!

Abigale went to a birthday party for her friend, Abbey, tonight.  The party was at this cool place called Painting With A Twist.  The person throwing the party gets to choose a painting and during the party they have an artist that sits in front of everyone and step by step teaches them to paint that image.  So, when everyone is done, the paintings should all look similar but have an individual creativity as well.  Abby has always been the most artistic in our family and her painting tonight turned out so good.  The best part was Abby really liked it and said she wants our whole family to come back and do a painting together.  :)

Abby's Painting

 

Abby & Hannah posing with the birthday girl



Abby's Running Man Sculpture she just completed in art class



It's OK to be good...

I feel like my whole life I have been ridiculed for being good. Most of the time the person ridiculing me is someone that makes less than desirable choices for their own life, so me doing the right thing really irks them. And, trust me those same people are the FIRST ones to point out when I do make a mistake. Its like my mistakes validate all their miserable choices. Obviously, I'm not perfect and trust me when I tell you that I have my fair share of regrets. But most of the time, I strive to do the right thing. I am honest, almost to a fault, I work hard, and I invest a lot of time and effort in things that I find important, like parenting. I'm sorry, but I simply cannot feel bad about being successful in my marriage (always a work in progress), as a mom, and in my career.

Anyways, I love my new haircut. It is so easy to style and all that gray just blends right in. I can't believe how cheap it was too! In Virginia it would have been twice the price. I have also noticed lately that a lot of my friends that are the same age as me are starting to get crows feet. Thank goodness I don't have any yet, not even a sign of them! Hopefully I can make it through my 30's without having to battle crows feet - gray hair is bad enough...

Oh, our new favorite treat is frozen yogurt. We have visited two different self-serve frozen yogurt shops this week. Our favorite is Tuitti Fruitti. I like it because they list the ingredients for you and also tell you which ones are low-fat, have specific vitamins, etc. Abigale likes it because it is apparently the cool yogurt shop, and Hannah just likes trying them all out. So far, Cake Batter is my favorite and I am still trying out all the wonderful toppings. The cherries at Tuitti Fruitti are AWESOME. I will try to post a pic the next time we go.

Stay tuned!

Punishment is served!

Well, to follow up on yesterday’s post, Abby got her punishment today for looking at pictures on her iPod in class when she clearly wasn’t supposed to be using it. They went easy on her since this is her first offense, ever. She got after-school detention for one hour on Thursday. The funniest part is that when she found out in school today, she texted me to tell me the verdict. A clear violation…I suspect she may not have learned her lesson…

Stay tuned!

PS
I still can’t type in Blogger, there is like a 20 second lag time. This is unacceptable.

Abby & Sammy